old55

I think Richmond will be desperate with finals on the line, I think they should have beaten us on ANZAC Eve but for inaccuracy/accuracy differential, I think their backline is capable, their midfield is not missing anyone and is batting deep and I think they have just enough avenues to goal in Riewoldt, Martin and Bolton. If Lynch was playing I'd be even more pessimistic. I also admit there's a bit of MFCSS vibe, and it's been there all week, even ahead of the upset results that make the win more important for us. Sometimes "I got a feeling, a feeling deep inside ..." I have money on Richmond little-win. Hope we go with Hibberd as sub and give Smith a full game at Casey. I also think a loss at this time is not fatal for any of the contenders - hell if it is, put your money on Carlton for the flag. I will have a nibble at that though if Richmond wins.

Doubling down. Richmond to win, but it doesn’t mean our season is over.

We'll see if they try it soon enough.

But we don't need a "backup", we need someone who can capably share the ruck gametime with Max.

The preferred structure across the journey has been 2 KPFs and 2 rucks. I predict Grundy comes in for a small e.g. Woey, especially with Clarrie getting back.

I agree with the first paragraph but you're writing off 2023 in the second and I'm unwilling to. Max cannot go solo (ie with JVR) all the way into the GF, so we need to get Brodie back in, and as @A F says we won against Collingwood with them in tandem. An interesting ingredient to add to your 2024 recipe is Brodie Grundy MFC Premiership player.

Yes Max over estimated his own ability to adapt to play effectively forward and here we are. No surprise Max, being the champion he is, has come out with some great solo work while Brodie has gone back to Casey. But it can't continue through to the GF. Brodie will come back, probably next week. Then it gets interesting.

https://www.theage.com.au/sport/afl/that-looked-nasty-mark-blicavs-tom-hawkins-injuries-compound-geelong-s-shock-loss-to-dockers-20230728-p5dryb.html Thunderbirds are go!

My expectations were that Dwayne would say something stupid and he never disappoints.

Did you pay any attention at all to Max's condition last year? Did you pay any attention to Max driving Brodie's recruitment?

Max has 3 years left if he doesn't have to ruck full-time. The reason he played so well solo is because Grundy enabled him to have less load, but he can't sustain this. Max was behind recruiting Grundy and remains so. What's laughable is that people can't understand this.

So not happening then?

Collingwood has their full list available and it's very strong, well balanced and experienced. They have an excellent backline at least the equal of ours; they may not have the very top end talent of our midfield, but they bat measurably deeper; and their forward line is at least equal to ours. The only area we are superior is in the ruck, but a serious question remains whether we can convert that advantage into a result. There's a difference in method and that's the intangible come finals time. Their time is now though with Pendlebury, Howe, Sidebottom, Cox, Elliott, Mihocek and Mitchell all north of 30yo. There's a Geelong 2022 feeling in the air for me.

Harmes or Dunstan - it's not going to make the difference between winning or losing. Not really worth discussing. Hibberd in for Dusty and Rivers to the midfield at least has a potential to be influential on the result and genuinely experiments with Rivers midfield capabilities. A more worthy discussion.

did you BYO saw?

It's the most straightforward explanation though and is fully consistent with how MFC operates following AFL rules e.g. Jordon not coming on in the 21 GF. Why say "Goodwin just playing the media with naming him each week." when there's a simpler more obvious explanation?

Interesting - I was 65.

As posted above, Grundy is named on the extended bench in case Max gets an injury ahead of the game and he needs to come in. Are you happy to personally pay the fine if we have to bring in someone not named?

Most likely Petty for Brown and Harmes for Sparrow though. They might select Hibberd and rest McVee, there might be some concern about McVee getting beaten in successive weeks by Rankine then Dusty. It will be interesting to see. I'd like to see Smith for Woewodin to add more forward defensive pressure and aerial threat but I doubt we'll see it. I think Grundy comes in for a small when Clarrie comes back.

Potential for an enormous amount of egg on face if we win this year's flag with Brodie.

Yes and North are seeking a double whammy here. First to add Sanders to their Next Gen Academy late - I think there is a case for this because AFAIK he has been involved with them for a number of years and has only recently officially established his Aboriginality. Second, to bypass the updated rule that (apart from NSW and Qld teams) you can only bid on Academy players selected after pick 40 - I actually think that rule is too restrictive if you have invested long term in the player, maybe fairer would be no points discount up to pick 40. But nevertheless it's the rule and North are trying to bypass it. FWIW, I think they'll get their way. Sanders genuinely said on Gettable he was happy to go to North, he's very god friends with Harry Sheezel and there's talk that North will select McKercher, also from Tasmania like Sanders. North need KPs, even more so if McKay leaves. Maybe they're hoping that delivers pick 3 and they can take Curtain there. That would pose a risk and problems for any trade of our Freo pick to WC for pick 1 because they wouldn't get Curtain. A fair bit to play out ...

Don't win the flag = Disaster OK

I think a big part of the reason for less turnovers in our front half is, as you intimate, because we are trying to be more attacking. Kossie is playing higher up the field so we have lost our best pressure forward deep, and Brown and Melksham coming into the team hurt us in this area because they don't add any forward pressure. Even Petracca forward hurts a bit I think. In @WheeloRatings stats post he was our highest pressure acts and points player but IMO he a surprisingly poor tackler who seems easy to wrong foot. As I posted elsewhere, it's a bit of a left-field idea, but I'd like to see Joel Smith come in for Woey and Grundy for Brown, both of whom would give more forward pressure and we'd also get more aerial threat.

I've got some very good friends who are Richmond and Collingwood supporters. Every club has annoying supporters, I think it's because Richmond and Collingwood have a lot of supporters overall, that they seem to have a greater number of annoying supporters.

If Grundy doesn't come "back into the team in coming weeks", he'll seek a trade. No [censored] Sherlock! But that's not going to happen because he will be back in the team.